National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a six-party alliance that seeks the restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, should jointly fight the Assembly polls to keep the BJP at bay.
“This is my personal opinion. If someone asks me,’’ the former chief minister said on the sidelines of a youth convention of the NC at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subh, in Srinagar. “I would suggest the PAGD go together in the polls to keep the BJP and its B teams away.”
He, however, added that the final decision lies with the PAGD leaders.
Criticising the power blackouts in the UT during the holy month of Ramadan, Abdullah said: “It seems to be a deliberate attempt to disturb the people of Kashmir.”
“I wonder why there is electricity available during the day and night but not at the time of Sehri and Iftar,'' he said. “You wake to have Sehri and there is no electricity, and the same is the case when you have Iftar.”
He also alleged that there have been power outages during Taraweeh, the night prayers in Ramadan. When the prayers are over, electricity is restored, he said.
On the hijab row, Abdullah said that it was a religious obligation and nobody has the right to interfere in religious matters.
The Centre has promised restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the Assembly elections. The Delimitation Commission, which was set up after the Article 370 move, has finalised its proposals and is likely to submit the report before May 6.
The Commission has recommended six additional seats to Jammu and one to Kashmir despite the latter having more population, which is the basic criteria for delimitation.
